A Different Side to Artemis Fowl
by aggressivefangirl
Summary: Holly arrives at Fowl Manor, but it seems deserted. She finds Arty, but what is he doing? And why is he so set on keeping her from sharing his secret? (Oneshot)


"Artemis?"

Holly knocked on the large doors of the manor, and a small smile ghosted her face. She remembered when these doors were knocked down as she fought the troll that was part of the unexpected escapade that somehow brought the mudmen and her together. They were indeed a very strange group, but they had strong bonds. They were still close friends, even after Arty died, then came back as a clone of himself. She shuddered, and not because of the Irish chill. Thankfully, Artemis had regained almost all of his memory and intelligence, and they were now even closer. Though, some would argue, Foaly especially, that they were only friends. Blushing, she looked up at the double doors that towered over her small frame. There had been no response to niether her call nor her knock. She frowned slightly; she was going to surprise him with a visit, so perhaps he wasn't home? Doubtful, she scoffed. This was Artemis Fowl, and he didn't go out unless it was completely necessary. Foaly thought he was allergic to sun. But Artemis wouldn't have gone on an important business or family trip without telling her, so he had to be inside.

She circled the manor, and spotted Artemis' room window. She flew up in her brand new Hummingbird wings that she had snuck out with, and peered into the Mudboy's room. It was empty, and she her stomach dropped a bit in worry. There was still the study, and many other rooms to check though. He could easily be hiding anywhere! Still, Holly shivered slightly. Artemis had too many enemies for her _not_ to be concerned about him everyday. Studying the lock on the window, she realised that it was open, but would only open a small bit so that robbers, or worse, weren't able to get in. But Holly wasn't your average break-and-enterer, she was LEPrecon, and had creeped into other people's homes more times than she would like to admit. Like that one time Foaly had cooked blueberry pie, and hadn't let her eat any. He may not know how to be humble, but that centaur could make a mean blueberry pie. Lets just say she got a slice after all, and Foaly never knew.

But back to the task at hand. She wedged the window open, and slipped into the room, clipping the top of the titanium protective pack that housed her wings. She gracefully plopped onto Arty's dark carpet, and pounced to her feet. It was much warmer in the room, thanks to the heating unit that Arty had designed himself. He had delved into energy efficiency and sustainablity recently, and decided that it was how he would repay humankind for his old escapades. Holly thought it was quite adorable, how he wanted to help the Earth. He had changed so much since she first met him, and she and his family were incredibly proud of him for that. She had admired his brilliance from the moment she met him – though she would never admit it – and was now even more impressed by his intelligence. He had continued his work on the _The Plan_ and had just started working on a environmently friendly car that ran on organic waste. As much as he tried to hide, even Foaly was impressed.

Holly quietly slithered out of the room, with silence only an experienced and well-trained fairy could have. The manor was utterely desserted, and quiet – too quiet. It was almost disturbing, after growing to know the warm and joyful demeanor that the home now had after the return of Artemis Senior and the newest additons to the family, Myles and Beckett. The hairs on the back of Holly's neck stood up, and she used her magic to shield herself. No one had seen her come in, despite the numerous cameras situated in almost every nook and cranny of the manor. That meant no one was in the security room, which mean Butler probably wasn't here. That, or something had happened to him and the Fowls. Holly shuddered again, and pulled out her Neutrino. She crept to where she knew the study was, and stopped in front of the closed door. She gave the door a small nudge, and it opened a few centimetres. She peered into the room, expecting to hear the whirring of his multiple computors, but there was nothing. She pushed the door open fully, and checked once again for the familiar mountain that was Butler, or the spindly form of Artemis. But there was nothing but the shadows cast by the dwindling sunlight from the window.

She sighed. Holly had hoped that she wouldn't have to call Foaly, but desperate times call for desperate measures. She knew the centaur would tease her about the apparent chemistry between her and Arty; she had become his favourite target as of late. Sliding on her helmet, she brought up her comm and called for Foaly. His arrogant voice flooded her ears, and she winced, already anticipating the bashful conversation.

"Ah, dear Holly! How is sweetie-pie Arty?" Holly rolled her eyes.

"Actually, that's what I called in about. I can't seem to find him, but I doubt he's not home. Can you show me how to use the heat scan-y thingy again?" Foaly sighed; he absolutely hated it when people, particularly LEP agents, referred to his inventions without their proper names – and Holly knew this. It was her way of getting even with him. Unless things became desperate, then Holly would go the next step – she was an excellent pranker, you know.

"It's a thermol sensor, for your information," he corrected snarkily.

"Yes, _very _interesting, Foaly. But will you please just help me find Artemis, please?"

"Is that worry I hear in your voice, Captain Short?" Foaly sighed dreamily. "Ah, young love: it makes me sick." Holly could almost see him rolling his eyes and pretending to gag – which, in fact, was exactly what he was doing as he turned the thermal sensor on for Holly. Foaly may sound indifferent and sarcastic, but he was a good guy, and Holly sounded distressed enough without his teasing to add to it.

"There, it's working. There's two heat signatures in the library, one looks like a fire. Now, go find your boyfriend! Tell him I said hello!" Holly slipped her helmet off as Foaly terminated the call, sliding under one arm.

Holly walked down the grand staircase, and made her way towards the library. She didn't hear anything or anyone, which made her feel on edge again. It was eerily quiet, and Holly didn't like it one bit. After Artemis Senior returned, the house became a home, and there were many new additons to it, like photos and memorabillia. Holly looked at these pictures now, surprised at how normal Arty was as a baby. For once, he wasn't wearing a suit or even a pair of rigorously ironed slacks. He was wearing onsies, bibs, and cute shirts like any other baby would. It was strange for Holly; she never really thought about Arty as a child, but now it didn't seem like he was any different to her. Well, aside from the species and gender differences, of course. Holly found herself smirking when she reached the library doors, after viewing a canvas of baby Arty in nothing but a diaper, with some substance like jam covering majority of his chubby, little body. It was adorable, but it left Holly wondering if Arty knew about the picture or if it was there against his will. She'd have to get a shot of it for Foaly before she left, because they had never thought that it would be fair to let Arty get away with his crimes without even a little bit of humiliation, and they had teamed up to make sure that he got a weekly dose of embarrasement. If she sent a photo of the canvas to Foaly, it would probably be the hottest topic for the news by nightfall.

She pushed the heavy doors open, and as soon as she stepped across the threshold she was met with the waft of a blazing fire. She looked to her left, where a large desk was, and behind it, the fireplace. It was alight, but dwindling. Foaly had been right, there was a fire down here. Holly narrowed her eyes; that meant there _was_ someone here, or at least there had been recently. She pivoted slowly, taking in her surroundings. The library was covered in a comforting, orange glow from the fire, which seemed to be the only light source. Shadows danced and kept her on her toes because of the way they resembled people and creatures. Even so, a calm feeling settled in her gut and she felt her eyelids droop because of the homey and familiar atmosphere. Fowl Manor was like a second home to her and was a place that she knew she was always welcome; it was her escape from the cramped and stuffy city of Haven. Her eyes skipped over the many shelves and aisles full of books, and the numerous desks that decorated the large room. There had to be hundreds of little nooks and crannies for hostiles to be hiding in, yet she was still willing to venture on to find Arty. She stood thinking, considering whether or not she should call Foaly again to see if he had anything else on the whereabouts of her human friend. It was then that she heard the faint taps of a piano being played, and if she strained hard enough, she could tell it was a recording. No human would be able to pick up the sound, but fairies had much better hearing, which could be both a nuisance or an advantage. It was especially horrible when there was a newly wed couple living in the flat next to hers, if you catch my drift. But back to the story.

Holly moved silently to the source of the sound, and she found herself at the back corner of the library behind a shelve of books that were well hidden. This corner was darker that the rest of the library, and quite dusty. It was quite obvious that it was rarely visited. She looked at the books on the shelves; all of the novels were romance books, and after picking one up and flicking through a few of the pages, she realised they were quite cheesy and cliché. She replaced the book she picked up just as the music ended, and swept her eyes over the rest of the shelf, searching for abnomalies. Her gaze landed upon a gap in the shelf, where there was no dust nor books. _Someone has taken a book from here, and recently too,_ she thought to herself. She heard the music start up again, and she found herself walking behind the shelf, where the noise was loudest. It was almost pitch black back there, as the shelf stopped what little light there was in the corner from reaching her. She walked forward, feeling about blindly, and because of the darkness, she nearly fell in the gaping hole in the floor. After wobbling for a moment, she regained her balance and leant back, away from the square holw. Now that her eyes had adjusted to the lack of light, she could see that there was a block of a darker shade than the rest of the space, sitting right in the floor in fronte of her. She pulled her helmet back on and turned on the night vision. With her now advanced sight, she spotted a small staircase from the edge of the hole to the floor. There was obviously a secret passage down there, and this surprised her; it must have been added after the Fowl Incident, or she would have known it was there. She weighed up her options, and decided that there was no harm in venturing down the passage as she was adequetly armed and prepared. With silent footsteps, she tiptoed down the stairs and then the long passage, where she spotted a source of light not far into the distance.

She continued down the passage, which would be just taller than the average mud man and lined with stone. It felt damp and cold, and Holly turned on the heaters in her suit. The light became brighter the further she moved on, and the music became louder. It sounded like an orchestra, and knowing the Fowls it was probably some Mudman composer like Back, or Bach, or whatever he was called. Soon she came to the end of the tunnel, and she peeked her small head around the corner. Her eyes widened and she nealy choked because of the loud cackle that was threatening to make an appearance. She couldn't believe her eyes; no, she had to be dreaming. She had to be!

She pinched herself, and, peered around the wall into the room next to her. Nope, she was not dreaming. _Oh dear gods, Foaly would love this, _she thought mischeviously. She called Foaly, and he picked up almost immediately.

"Did you find him? Is he dead? Is he being tortured? Has he kidnapped an alien this time? If he has, get him to send me some pictures, okay?" Foaly blurted out loudly, making her jump.

"Woah Foaly, slow down. He hasn't kidnapped an alien, and he's fine. _Totally _fine," she replied, sniggering quietly.

"So no alien? Shame, would have been a great discovery. I would have taken all of the credit for myself though, obviously."

"Trust me Foaly, I think you'll find this to be _much_ better than aliens," Holly replied, turning her camera on so she could send a live feed of what she was seeing to Foaly. "I don't know Holly, aliens are- oh. Oh, this is _definitely_ better than aliens.I love you Holly, I love you so much! This is so going to be on the news tonight," Foaly sniggered with her, deciding that the video he was reciving was way better than discovering an intergalactic race. "I can see it already; _'Artemis Fowl: a serious, unlovable Mudboy... or not?'_ Oh gods, this is great." Holly could already see him composing an email to the Haven journalists, about how he found some never-before-seen video of their favourite criminal genius heart-throb. That's right, our dear Arty had become somewhat of a superstar to the newest generation of fairies. Holly found it hard to go anywhere nowadays without overhearing some young fairy girl or boys chattering incesantly about the '_hotness of Artemis Fowl. Everyone loves a good villain!_' This was often replied to with variations of the phrase '_I know right! Smart is _totally_ the new sexy!_' Of course, Holly didn't pay _any_ attention to these whispers, and they certainly _did not _make her feel somewhat jealous. Holly could still here Foaly giggling like a school girl over the new blackmail that Holly had supplied him with, and Holly found herself giggling along with him. The subject of their attention? It was Arty himself, of course. Well, it looked like Arty, anyway.

In front of her was Artemis with a glass of red wine in one hand and a romance novel in the other, prancing around the room out of time with the classical, sappy music being played. In place of his usual suits and fancy shoes were blue bunny slippers, sweat pants and a pink shirt that Holly was sure she had seen Juliet wear. And to top it all off, Artemis was reading the book out aloud, with the different voices and everything. "_Oh, Mister Daniels, what a pleasure it is to see you again!_" Arty exclaimed in a bad impression of a woman's voice. Was he drunk? He had to be drunk!

Foaly burst out laughing again, and Holly had to hold her hand over her face to stop her giggles from escaping. Despite her efforts, a few tears leaked from the corners of her eyes, and she decided that she had to spare him before he lost all of his dignity to the media of Haven. She walked slowly away from her corner, and sat down in the armchair in the space near her. She turned off her shield and cleared her throat. Artemis stopped dead in his tracks with his back to her. He turned slowly to face her, a look of pure horror on his face. Holly smirked.

"Are you even old enough to be drinking wine?" He was speechless, something that Holly had only rarely seen happen. He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, like a fish. Finally, some words made their way out of his mouth.

"It is _so_ not what it looks like, Holly," he started.

"Oh, I don't know Arty. To me it looked like you are obsessed with reading and acting out badly written romance novels. Is that what it is? And here I was thinking that that shelf of books belonged to your mother," she chuckled darkily, knowing that he couldn't talk his way out of this one. He looked to her with an expression of shock and bewilderment.

"It _is _my mother's shelf! I- you-, ugh!" He threw his hands up in exasperation. His face turned to one of pleading, and he turned towards her with the puppy-dog eyes that had bended her to his will one too many times.

"Please Holly, you can't tell _anyone_ about this, especially not Foaly! He still hasn't gotten me back for that time I released the picture of him using one of my inventions!" He cried out, almost dropping to the floor and begging on his knees at her feet. Holly smirked, and peeled her helmet off of her head.

"Ah, but Artemis, the damage is already done." He narrowed his eyes at her.

"Holly, what have you done?" He asked her in a frighteningly calm voice. Holly's smirk transformed into a full smile.

"Oh, why don't you just ask Foaly?" she projected an image of Foaly into the space in between them, one of the features of the new and improved helmet.

"Hello dear Arty, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Foaly's whiny voice rang out through Holly's helmet speakers. He was smirking evilly, just like Holly was.

"You know, I still haven't forgiven you for humiliating me by releasing that picture of me _using_ one of your lame toys. But anyway, I suggest you watch the Haven news tonight; there are some videos I think you would like to see. I know you can because you hacked into my network," at this, the centaur's eyes narrowed and glared at poor Arty.

"But anyway, bye! Have a _great _night!" He finished cheerily, and the projection faded. Artemis moved his gaze to stare into Holly's mismatched eyes. For a second, Holly's grin faltered, and she could have sworn that she could hear Arty growling. She realized that now would probably be a good time to run. She bouced up, and darted throught the room and down the passage. She could hear Artemis' footsteps pounding on the stone behind her, muffled slightly by his bunny slippers. Another giggle escaped her lips at this thought. She ran into the library and turned on her shield. Artemis ran up behind her, puffing and spinning to find her.

"D'Arvit, Holly!" He exclaimed, using the gnommish curse word.

"That was supposed to be a secret," he pouted, whining like a child. She knew that they would still be friends after this, though he would probably give her the cold shoulder for a few days, even a week. She laughed at his childish behavious.

"Well Arty, I can see now is probably not a good time, because you probably want to get back to _Mister Daniels_," she smiled.

"I'll visit later, mayybe tomorrow or another day," and with that she waltzed over to a window and opened it, starting her wings. She flew out the hole, but not before she heard Arty muttering a _whatever_ to her receding back. A small smile ghosted her lips, much like the one from earlier. She decided that it would probably be a good idea to up her defences and restock her pranking supplies. Holly turned to face the manor again. Artemis was hanging out the window and waving a threatening fist at her.

"I'll get you back for this, Holly Short! Mark my words!" Holly giggled again, for what felt like the hundredth time that night. Of all the lines he could use, he chose _that_ one. But Holly knew that no matter how cheesy his threats were, it would be a terrible idea to underestimate the genius. Arty may be a good guy now, but he still had a devious mind, and _damn_, that boy was good at pranking and revenge.


End file.
